A row has broken after Earlsdon Festival organisers decided not to give stalls to local shops - with one business owner claiming the event has “lost the community ethos”.

Debbie Evitt - director of Kendalls of Earlsdon, a deli on Earlsdon Street - contacted the Telegraph after her business was snubbed in the race for a stall.

Organisers have defended the move, saying the local shops will benefit from the large crowds which turn up for the popular festival.

Mrs Evitt said: “We applied for a pitch as usual but the vendors go out to tender and we were told that as there were other vendors coming in similar to us, we were unsuccessful.

“We will be open on the day as usual but it’s very difficult to get people across our threshhold when they are walking up and down the street looking at stalls.

“It is a shame that businesses that make Earlsdon successful 365 days a year and pay business rates and employ local people are not given the opportunity to have a stall in the main foot fall area of the festival,” she added.

Earlsdon Festival 2016

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Responding to the comments, festival chairperson James Whateley - in his second year of involvement with the event said that the changes to the way stalls were distributed was based on the committee’s experience and feedback from visitors.

He said: “As a relatively new committee our stalls team implemented a policy that any business on the high street wouldn’t be given a stall as if we offered to every business there wouldn’t be enough space for anyone else.

“We wanted to make sure we increased the numbers of different local business and charities at the event and ensure we bring in extra footfall to the area on the day, an in any case only a small number of shops applied - all of which were refused.

“The shops on the high street have some fantastic shop fronts and will benefit from the increased footfall on the day.”

Mrs Evitt’s husband Ray was an original founder of the event and said: “The festival has been a real community event. In the past all the local shops got offered a stand if they wished and usually had priority.

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“That seems to have gone by the wayside and the response has been willy nilly and dismissive. Kendalls have always supported the festival.

“It was never about making money, it was about being part of the community and I’ve now got a team of young people who are really cheesed off.”

Mrs Evitt added: “I really support the local community and give plenty to it. It has been suggested online that we don’t volunteer, but I can’t do two things at once and I’ll still have a business to run.

“I don’t want to blame the volunteers, we just feel disappointed that we haven’t been given an opportunity.”

Mr Whateley said that a large number of local businesses supported the event through sponsorship and advertising including Albany Social Club, the City Arms pub and Paynes Estate Agents.

He said: “There is still plenty of opportunity for businesses on the high street to make the most of the day, we’re volunteers running the committee for the benefit of the local area.”